The new French Defence Ministry HQ is a monumental origami-shaped “city within a city”

The 165,000-square-meter building is located in the 15th arrondissement, opposite to the Parisian ring and will house nearly 10,000 people. It looks like a fortress, revealing only the roof of the building that seems to levitate. Three chimneys punctuate the origami-shaped structure clad in metal panels and solar glass. These three protrusions symbolize the three forces of the army.
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Built on stilts, the building is a rhizome,...